When Karen Ann McNeil falls into a mysterious, decades-long coma on the eve of the 1980s, her boyfriend Richard and their circle of friends are left to navigate a rapidly shifting world without her. As the years pass, the characters grapple with the mundane pressures of adulthood, the erosion of their youthful idealism, and the creeping sense that the world is spiraling toward an inevitable, apocalyptic conclusion. The narrative framework shifts between the perspectives of the friends left behind and the surreal, prophetic visions that haunt Karen during her suspended state. Richard serves as the anchor for this exploration of time, loss, and the collective anxiety of a generation facing an uncertain future.

This work is frequently analyzed for its departure from the author's earlier, more strictly realist portrayals of contemporary life. Critics often highlight the shift into speculative territory as a bold attempt to capture the specific anxieties of the late twentieth century. The narrative is noted for its ability to balance intimate character studies with broader, more ominous themes regarding the direction of modern society. Readers often find the juxtaposition of the mundane and the catastrophic to be the defining feature of the reading experience. The novel remains a significant entry in the author's body of work for its willingness to confront the end of history through a deeply personal lens.